Dispensing rack



llg- 19, l941- R. M. RoBBlNs ETAL 2,253,094

DIs'PENsING RAC? Filed April 8, 1940 2 Y sl .A RNEY5 j Patented Aug. 19, 1941 DISPENSING RACK Richard M. Robbins and Robert v. Robbins, Loveland, Colo.

Application April s, 1940, serial No. 328,502.

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improved racks for dispensing roll goods.

There are many instances Where roll goods such as foil, Cellophane and paper wrappings, oil cloth, and the like, are to be dispensed in pieces from the rolls as required.`

In a flower shop, for instance, various types of ornamental wrappings are usually on hand. Such wrappings commonly are colored foil, Cellophane, paper, or the like, and are used in wrapping cut owers or potted plants in a color or design to suit the situation. Since a variety of colors and/or designs are usually kept ready :for use, it is highly desirable to have the individual rollsoi the various materials racked ready for convenient selection. If the individual rolls are scattered about the establishment, they may become` diflicult to locate and select.

Since these wrappings come in rolls, there is also the problem of cutting or tearing a piece therefrom and if an ordinary knife or scissors are used, the cutting requires some time and may not be entirely neat. Furthermore, an extraneous instrument for cutting easily may be mislaid and annoyance thus occasioned. It is manifestly inecient simply to tear a piece from the roll, leaving ragged edges and wasting material.

Therefore, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a combination rack and cutter fora plurality of` rolls of material, from which pieces are to be selectively taken.

Another object is to provide such a combination rack and cutter, wherein the cutter may be moved selectively to the desired roll and immediately placed in cutting relationship thereto.

A further object is to provide in such a device, means whereby the rolls are heldagainst a'ccidental or inadvertent rotation which would unroll the material therefrom.

Still another object is to provide such a rack wherein rolls may be selectively mounted or removed.

Other objects and advantages reside in details of design and construction which will be more fully disclosed in the followingdescription and Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional (Cl. SM2-55.4) i

view Vtaken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3 as the device would appear with some of the rolls removed; and

Figure 5 is anenlarged fragmentary sectional View taken alongthe line 5-5 of Figure 1.

In order to disclose an operative reduction to practice of this inventive concept, reference in detail will be had to the various views in the accompanying drawing. However, since changes in details can be made without departingfrom the spirit of the invention, the instant example is not to be construed as expressing or implying any limitation to the invention, the scope of which is in reality measured by the appended lclaims.

In the drawing, reference character I5 denotes a hollow rectangular frame structure as a whole, inclusive of normally vertical side frame members I6 and I'I provided with vertical undercut grooves or ways I8 and I9 respectively. The inner edge of side frame member I6 is provided with a plurality of angular notches 20, and side frame member I'I is provided with correspondingly positioned holes so that a plurality of bars 2l may be removably positioned in said holes and notches to be supported on the frame structure I5.

Rolls 22 Aoi material of the character hereinbefore described are selectively mounted upon the bars 2|, where they are visible, rotatable, and conveniently accessible. Where the rolls are mounted on tubes of larger diameter than the bars 2|, hollow rollers may be inserted into the ends of the tube with a bar 2l extending through the hollow portion as shown at 40 in Figure 1.

Back of the mounted rolls 22 are a series of U-shaped spring members 23 spaced in two vertical rows, the spring members in one row being in staggered relationship to the spring members in the other -row and in a position to bear yieldingly upon the rolls to prevent their accidental or inadvertent rotation. The U-shaped springs in one row are positioned to cross the springs in the other row in substantial horizontal alinement with the bars 2|, as indicated at 24 in Figure 4. As a consequence of this particular arrangement of the spring members 23, spring tension is applied to each roll in two directions as at 25 and 26.

T-shaped slides 2l and 28 are slidably carried in the grooves or ways I8 and I9 respectively, and they in turn support a movable cutter element indicated as a whole by reference character 29, and which comprises a cross bar 30 and a cutter blade 3| hingedly attached to said bar 30.

A spring member 32 is positioned on the cross bar 30 to urge the cutter blade 3| away from the rolls 22, but the hinged mounting limits the movement of the cutter away from the rolls to a position wherein it is in substantially vertical alinement with the cross bar 30.

A handle 33 is conveniently provided on the bar 30 whereby it may -be selectively moved up and down to bring the cutter blade 3l in alinement with any roll 22 that is selected for use.

Attached to the cutter element 29 is a cord 34 which is reeved over a pulley 35 and connected with a counterweight 36, whereby the weight of the cutter element 29 is substantially balanced so that it may be moved up and down with a minimum of physical eifort and it will remain any selected position.

It is manifest that racks of this character maybe made in various sizes to accommodate a plurality of rolls of material, and that such rolls may be readily mounted on or removed from such ,a rack. When so mounted,l the rolls are visible and readily accessible and the 'cutter element may be moved to bring the cutter blade 3| in alinement with the selected roll, whereupon the hinged cutter blade 3i may be pressed against thetension of the spring 52 to contact the selected roll.

The user grasps the exposed edge of the material on the selected roll and pulls as much of it Vout past 4the cutting edge as is desired for use. This` unwinding fof the material obviously could be done either before or after the cutter blade is positioned. When suii'lcient material is unrolled and the cutter is in contact with the selected roll, the material may be cut off by quickly and progressively pulling it against the cutting edge across the width of the material.

The cutter blade extends across the full width of the material and it may have a straight cutting edge or a notched cutting edge, as desired. While rolls of uniformlength have been illustrated as mountedfupon the rack, it is, ofcourse, contemplated that rolls of varying widths of any rnateiialwithin `the capacity `of any given rack, may be mounted thereon, and dispensed therefrom.

What we claim is:

1.(A device of the character disclosed cornprising a rack element inclusive of means for rotatably mounting a plurality of rollsof material thereon, a cutter element inclusive *of a bar mounted on the rack for sliding movement past rolls on said rack, a cutter blade hinged to the bar and movable therewith to selected rolls, resilient means on the element for urging the cutter blade away from the rolls, said cutter blade being manually movable against the resilient means to contact a selected roll.

2. A device of the character disclosed comprising a rack element inclusive of means for rotatably mounting a plurality of rolls of material thereon, a cutter element-inclusive of a bar mounted on the rack for sliding movement past rolls on said rack, a cutter blade hinged to the bar and movable therewith to selected rolls, resilient means on the cutter element for urging the cutter blade away from the rolls, said cutter blade being manually movable against the resilient means to contact a selected roll, and spring means positioned on the rack to contact rolls of material mounted thereon, whereby said rolls are held against unwanted rotation.

3. A device 'of the character Vdisclosed, comprising a rack element inclusive 'of means for rotatably Vmounting a plurality of rolls of material thereon and having parallel undercut ways y at opposite sides, 'slides fitted inthe ways, a bar carried on the slides and positioned across the rack adjacent rolls thereongaicutter blade hinged tosaid bar for conjoint movement therewith, and resilient means on the bar positioned to urge the cutter blade away from the rolls, said cutter blade being manually movable about its hinge axis to contact a selected roll.V v

4. A device ci?`- the character disclosed comprising a normally vertical rack element inclusive of means for rotatably mounting a plurality of rolls of material therjeonin vertically spaced relationship and havin'gnvertical undercut ways at opposite sides, slides'positioned in said ways, a bar carried on the slides and positioned across the rack adjacent rolls thereon, a cutter blade hinged to said bary for conjoint sliding movement therewith to s'electedrolls, a spring on the bar positioned to urge the cutter blade away from rolls on the rack, saidrcutter blade being manul ally movable about its hinge axis against tension of the spring to contact a selected roll,a counterweight connected with the bar, and meanson the rack for holdingY rolls mounted thereon against unwanted rotation.

RICHARD M, ROBBI'NS. ROBERT V. ROBBINS. 

